Security & Defence Policy
Understanding the military history and the evolution of the security and defence environment is crucial for Belgian Defence. It feeds the reflection governing the preparation of future policies in the field of security and defence and the strategic reflection of Belgian Defence and its history in particular. It is the starting point for the reflection on future plans and policies, it helps defining the risks for Belgium and its armed forces and permits to draft a path to sound and resilient capability development.
The Research Area “Defence Policy analysis” is dedicated to the study of security and defence issues from a historical, geopolitical, strategic, tactical as well as a national, transatlantic and European perspective. The aim of the research conducted in this field is to build up knowledge and improve the comprehension of the political, military, institutional, technological, socio-economic, and ideological trends (past and current) that had or are likely to have an impact on the military balance and the prospect of armed conflict.
The research activities focus on geopolitics, international relations, intelligence issues, and military history, and cover the following areas:
- Belgium’s security and defence policy, including the security threats and challenges our country is facing, the use of defence personnel and capabilities, the different missions of the Belgian Defence.
- The strategic, doctrinal and institutional developments within the NATO alliance and the role of international organisations including the EU, the OSCE and the UN.
- The security environment evolution and the conceptual developments in the use of defence capabilities to face up to identified threats, including major war in Europe, worldwide conflicts and operations, terrorism and radicalisation, threats and hybrid strategies, cyber security and cyber defence, strategic information as well as climate change.
- The force requirements derived from NATO’s deterrence posture and collective defence plans.
- The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control treaties.
- The evolution of the defence technological and industrial base in Belgium and Europe and related policy initiatives.
- Power politics and power instruments, including foreign and security policies, the development of military capabilities, the deployment of external missions, military assistance, and peace building.
- Security, defence and intelligence issues related to specific geographical regions, including Europe and its Eastern neighbourhood, Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa, the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa.